Neal Stimler

The Department of German, Russian, Asian, and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at Miami University was critical to my personal growth and future professional success. I participated in the Intensive German Summer Program in Summer of 2004. During the program, I experienced German culture, learned the language through focused coursework and visited numerous cultural heritage sites. This lead to my further engagement with the department with the student magazine "Das deutsche Fenster," participation the "Plem Plem" Kabaret and continued study in German art, film and literature. My studies in the Department, and especially the immersion program, lead to my first internship at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 2005, where I cataloged German Expressionist prints in the museum's collection. This first internship lead not only to a lifelong engagement with German art and culture, but to full-time employment at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in successive positions. My professors, notably Peter Carels, John M. Jeep, Edward Plater, and Johannes Tokarski, were not only inspiring teachers, but became friends and mentors that have continued to shape my life. The Department of German, Russian, Asian, and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures played a significant role in my education at Miami University.